Native to Ontario

Eastern Hemlock

Pyramidal growth habit when young Flat sprays of lacy short dark green needles Needles have two white bands underneath Small short-stalked cones are tan-brown Great as an individual specimen or for screening

White Trillium

Native to woodlands throughout North America Showiest of all the native trillium Outward-facing white three-petaled flowers Flowers fade to pink as they mature Flowers are slightly later than Trillium erectum Stalkless broadly ovate mid-green leaves Bloom Time: Late April to May

Ohio Spiderwort

Upright tufted clump-forming perennial Numerous buds form in a terminal cluster Three petals form a triangular-shaped flower with hairy stamens Blue to lavender blooms with contrasting yellow stamens Arching lance-shaped bluish-green foliage Bloom Time: Early to late summer

Prairie Dropseed

An elegant native; fine green leaves and its seed stems emerge directly from the base Pink flowers turn tan coloured in the fall Delicate seedheads stand 50 cm above the rest of the foliage Fall colour is orange, turning to tan for the winter Bloom Time: Late summer Flower height: 100 cm Foliage height: 60 cm Grass Type: Warm Season

Indian Grass

AKA Sorghastrum avenaceum, Chrysopogon nutans Reddish-bronze downy flower spikes rising well above the foliage appear in July The grass blades are green turning bronze to burnt orange in the fall Bloom Time: July Flower Height: 220 cm Foliage Height: 120 cm Grass Type: Warm Season

Compass Plant

Clusters of nodding eastern-facing sunflower-like yellow flowers Sturdy green stems are covered in white hairs Basal narrow leaves are very deeply lobed and up to 50 cm long Upright clumping habit Drought-tolerant Bloom Time: August to September Flower Size: 13 cm

Shining Willow

Yellow catkins appear after the leaves Narrow dark green leaves are glossy above, and glossy light green below Plant is called 'shining' because of its smooth glossy leaves Reddish-brown bark is smooth Leaves are yellow in the fall Bloom Time: Spring

Sandbar Willow

AKA Salix interior Yellowish-green catkins Narrow silvery-gray leaves Excellent for binding soils along banks Can be a small tree or shrub Bloom Time: Mid to late spring

Pussy Willow

Soft silky silvery catkins appear before the leaves Medium-green leaves have downy gray-white undersides Upright habit Bloom Time: Early spring

Beaked Willow

Yellow-green cone-like fruit is attractive to birds Dull green, slightly saw-toothed or wavy, and gray or whitish underneath Fast-growing and capable of forming dense colonies Flowers are yellow catkins Bears light brown capsules Bloom Time: May to early June

Wild Petunia

Bell-shaped petunia shaped lavender to lilac-blue flowers Blooming period between May-October Long slender olive-green leaves

Black Raspberry

Single white flowers Sweet black thimble-shaped fruit Textured green leaves, with three to five leaflets, turn yellow in the fall Thorny canes are upright then arch over to reroot A good colonizer Bloom Time: Late spring or early summer

Gray-head Coneflower

AKA Lepachys pinnata Upright thick-stemmed well-branched perennial Toothed bluish-green lance-shaped leaves Daisy-like flowers form on tall stems Yellow flowers with central cone-shaped red-brown florets Very durable perennial, adaptable to both drought and heat Bloom Time: July to September

American Sycamore

Horizontal branching with a rounded habit Large medium green leaves are maple-like in shape Fall colour is an insignificant yellow-brown Light brown bark exfoliates in large strips, revealing creamy-white patches Insignificant flowers give way to fuzzy long-stalked spherical fruiting balls held singly Bloom Time: April

Eastern White Pine

Fast-growing broadly pyramidal evergreen Open branching with a smooth bark Long soft light green to blue-green needles An excellent tree for parks or lawns

White Spruce

Dense medium-sized uniformly pyramidal conifer Stiff spirally arranged needles are blue-green Needles are aromatic when crushed Can be used as a specimen or for screening

Hairy Beardtongue

Tubular two-lipped lavender flowers with white throats Flowers grow in clusters on hairy green stems Narrow, toothed hairy green leaves, 5-10 cm long Naturally found in dry woodlands and open fields Bloom Time: May to June Flower Height: 80 cm Foliage Height: 60 cm

Evening Primrose

Fragrant yellow saucer-shaped flowers appear on tall stalks Blooms open at dusk and close by noon of the following day Lance-shaped, slightly serrated, mid-green leaves Self-seeding Biennial Flowers form on second year's growth Bloom Time: June to September Flower Size: 2.5 cm

Yellow Pond Lily

AKA Nuphar luteum Hardy aquatic perennial Naturally found in shallow ponds and along stream borders Flat rounded thick mid-green leaves Cupped yellow flowers Distinctive fragrance Bloom Time: Summer

Bayberry

AKA Morella pensylvanica Waxy yellowish-green catkins appear before the leaves Fragrant glossy grayish-green foliage Female plants produce clusters of tiny grayish-white fruits in late summer Upright oval habit Nitrogen-fixing species Bloom Time: May

Sweet Gale

AKA Myrica palustris Upright, oval habit Waxy yellow catkins appear before the leaves Fragrant blue-green to dark green foliage Nitrogen-fixing species Grows well at water's edge or in bogs Bloom Time: May

Spotted Bee Balm

AKA Monarda punctata ssp. villicaulis Pale yellow flowers with purple spots rest on narrow pink bracts Tiered flowers are just above foliage Hairy toothed lance-shaped mid-green leaves, 10 cm long Foliage has an oregano scent when crushed Loose, clumping habit Drought and salt tolerant Bloom Time: June to July

Ostrich Fern

AKA Matteuccia pensylvanica Upright clump of big green lacy fronds Smells like freshly-mown hay when fronds are broken Short dark brown fertile fronds appear in the centre in late summer Upright-arching habit Spreads vigorously by shallow underground rhizomes Deciduous

Sundial Lupine

Other Common Names: Indian Beet, Old Maids Bonnets Compact spikes of showy flowers Blue-violet flowers with a white central streak Occasionally, flowers are pink or white Black seed heads follow the flowers Smooth palmate leaves are bright green Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer Flower Height: 75 cm Foliage Height: 40 cm

Rough Blazing Star

Rounded fluffy mauve-lilac flowers Average flower stalks have 15-40 loosely-spaced blooms Blooms at the top of the spike open first, and then slowly open down the spike Narrow dark green grass-like foliage, 45 cm long Good cut or dried flower Attracts birds and butterflies Bloom Time: Early September to October Flower Height: 90 cm Flower Size: 2.5 cm

American Larch

Rapid-growing deciduous conifer that is pyramidal when young Soft bluish-green needles turn golden-yellow in the fall Used for windscreens or in solitary plantings

Soft Rush

Forms an upright vase-shaped clump of single stalks Thin dark green cylindrical stems look stiff but are soft to the touch Flowers emerge in small clusters from a split in the stems, slightly below the tips of the plant Nodding clusters of flowers are yellow to pale brown Bloom Time: Midsummer till fall

Winterberry Holly

Inconspicuous white spring flowers Red berries persist into winter (on female plants only) Dark green glossy leaves turn (occasionally) to purple in autumn Suckering profusely, it produces an oval shrub Bloom Time: June to July

Bottlebrush Grass

AKA Elymus hystrix Forms an upright loose clump of coarse green leaves Green bottlebrush-like flowers emerge above the foliage Flowers ripen to straw-coloured seed heads persisting until late fall, then disperse Bloom Time: June Grass Type: Cool Season

Shrubby St. John's Wort

Five-petaled yellow flowers are almost obscured by a cloud of stamens Flowers are followed by seed capsules Narrow green leaves Bark exfoliates for winter interest Bloom Time: Late spring to summer

Sweet Grass

AKA Anthoxanthum nitens Forms a spreading upright mound of gray-green foliage Blades reach 60 cm high Yellow flower panicles rise very slightly above the foliage As the name suggests, this grass has a sweet vanilla scent Bloom Time: Spring Flower Size: 5-10 cm Grass Type: Cool Season

Sneezeweed

Erect clump-forming habit Daisy-like flowers with yellow petals and brownish-yellow cones Lance-shaped dark green leaves Naturally found along moist stream banks and wet meadows Bloom Time: Midsummer to fall

Witchhazel

Soft yellow spidery fragrant flowers in autumn Textured medium to bright green leaves Leaves turn orange-yellow in the fall Upright, vase-shaped, becoming rounded with age Bloom Time: Fall

Kentucky Coffee Tree

Open oval crown with irregular branching Greenish-white flowers appear on both male and female plants Fertilized flowers on female plants give way to flat brown seed pods Large compound leaves are blue-green in the summer Fall colour is an insignificant yellow Bloom Time: May to June

Virginia Strawberry

Habitats include fields, woodland borders, streambanks, and meadows White flower petals surround yellow stamens Flowers are followed by edible fruit Green foliage forms a bushy, trailing mound Useful as a ground cover for erosion control Bloom Time: Mid-spring to midsummer Flower Size: 2 cm

American Beech

Densely branched with an upright, oval-to-rounded spreading crown Trunks have distinctive thin smooth gray bark Small yellowish-green flowers Ovate to elliptic dark green leaves in the summer Foliage turns golden-bronze in the fall Bloom Time: Mid-spring

Fireweed

AKA Chamerion angustifolium Tall branchless flower stems with purple flowers Blooms from June to September Willow-like green leaves

Purple Coneflower

AKA Rudbeckia purpurea Drooping petals of purple-pink flowers with a spiky orange central cone Lance-shaped and coarse-toothed leaves on sturdy stems Leaves up to 15 cm in length Drought and heat tolerant Bloom Time: Midsummer to early fall

Pale Purple Coneflower

Narrow, pale purple-pink petals droop from a spiny dark cone Flowers up to 10 cm Lance-shaped hairy basal leaves Very adaptable to drought and heat Bloom Time: All summer

Marginal Shield Fern

Fiddleheads emerge with a thick brown "fur" Leathery deep green fronds Crown consists of large rhizomes covered in fuzzy brown 'hair' Upright-clumping habit Does not spread by rhizomes Evergreen

Goldie's Fern

Light green fronds are produced in groups along the rhizomes Upright habit and long, wiry stems Spreads slowly by shallow underground rhizomes One of the tallest native ferns Deciduous

Bush Honeysuckle

Small fragrant yellow flowers Medium green leaves with bronze overtones turn burgundy in the fall Mounding, spreading habit re-roots to provide an effective ground cover Bloom Time: Summer

Gray Dogwood

AKA Swida racemosa Panicles of white flowers in late spring lead to white berries in the fall Grayish-red young branches provide contrast in the winter Foliage turns purple in the fall Grows well in wet soils Excellent for stabilizing slopes Bloom Time: May

White Flowering Dogwood

AKA Benthamidia florida White bracts are very showy around inconspicuous flowers before the leaves appear Glossy oval red fruits, held in clusters, are attractive to birds Drooping glossy green leaves Fall colour scarlet to red, almost pink Upright clump of tiered horizontal branches Bloom Time: Spring

Lance-leaved Tickseed

Daisy-like yellow flowers Eight petals with toothed edges surround a central yellow eye Narrow lance-shaped leaves, 25 cm long x 5 cm wide Bloom Time: Early summer Flower Size: 5 cm

Virgin's Bower

Flower Colour: Small white Flower Size: 3 cm Bloom Time: Late summer to fall Pruning Group: 3 Profuse clusters at leaf axils Leaves are bright green, 10 cm long, with three sharply-toothed ovate leaflets Feathery seed heads

Common Hackberry

Upright, arching branches with a rounded, spreading crown Bark develops corky ridges, tan when young, turning gray at maturity Simple ovate leaves, with serrated margins, are light green in the summer Foliage turns a bright yellow in the fall A hardy shade tree tolerating a wide range of soil conditions Greenish flowers produce round fleshy berry-like deep purple drupes Bloom Time: April to May

New Jersey Tea

Clusters of tiny white fragrant flowers Medium to dark green leaves are gray and hairy on the undersides New twigs are yellow, providing winter interest Compact, dense, rounded shrub Bloom Time: June to August